Sentiment- is it weakness or strength?
by Doodlegirl1998
Summary: Natasha and Tony talk through some things and clear up some misunderstandings about thier relationship. Toying the line between romance and friendship.


**A/N**

 **Russian to English**  
 **Настроения слабость -Sentiment is weakness**  
 **Настроения сила -Sentiment is strength**

 **Sorry about the format issues earlier I hope I've solved it now. Let me know what you think of this :-) this toys with Pre slash Iron Widow and it is set after SHIELD fell but before the Civil War.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Настроения слабость." Natasha muttered, the phrase itself was drilled into her soon after she was brought into the Red Room.

That day they murdered her parents in front of her and stole her away.

She remembered thinking that her parents looked like broken china, they were far too cold, far too white, thier bodies were broken but - they were still beautiful.

Her life was changed forever. Irreparably.

This is the first time she had visited the graves of her parents, her life had changed again.

SHIELD had fallen, her sense of stability since she had deflected, had gone.

Never get too comfortable. Настроения слабость

Well, they had a point there.

She stood in front of two plain battered graves looking over a chain mail fence; no one had visited in years it seemed, if the ivy curling over one side of her fathers grave was any indication. Her parents deserved so much more, they were wonderful people.

Yet she could barely remember them.

Her eyes stung sharply at that thought and she begun to absent mindedly yank the weeds littering the graves up by the roots to distract herself.

Crying is discouraged unless it helps with a target or it is necessary for a cover. Настроения слабость.

Hearing a faint rustle behind her, she dropped the weeds she had been picking and ripped her gun from her pocket.

"You really must be suicidal if you are trying to sneak up on an Ex Black Widow." Whirling around with her gun outstretched in front of her, she appeared briefly confused when there was nothing there but the green ,weed filled, open field she had walked through.

"It's been said." Tony's silver retro reflective suit gradually faded into existence right in front of her gun, he waved with one hand. "Hi."

She heard the smile in his voice even if she couldn't see his face.

"Stark, I could've shot you." Smiling honestly for the first time in a long time, she lowered her gun and turned back around towards the graves.

"Shame, you would've wasted a lovely bullet." The suit let him out as he walked over around Natasha to stare at the graves.

"Madeleina and Roberto Romanova," Natasha stiffened minutely. Her parents were always a sore subject for her. Настроения слабость. Tony noticed pausing before making his tone gentler. "Your parents, I'm guessing."

"Why are you here, Stark?" She appreciated the sentiment that he was offering but he was as bad at talking about emotions as her.

As much as she liked his company, she knew he didn't like her. Lying to someone who could be your teammate is not recommended she found out in foresight, especially if he is one Tony Stark, he took it as a betrayal of trust. She found that fact a lot more of a shame than she let on because she found that over time she actually quite liked him. Unfortunately though, he only tried to act nice for her because she was on the team therefore he would only be here to give news about the Avengers.

"Definitely your parents." Looking at her face he quickly became more apologetic but his words were lightly teasing. "Some of us work for a living, y'know. I'm on business."

Настроения слабость. I've got to stop being open with my expressions around him.

I'm getting too comfortable.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, keeping the rest of her face blank because she knew it unnerved him. "You are on Avengers business. Pepper does your job for you. She's the one who mainly travels for SI things."

She felt a stab of sympathy as he winced at the mention of Pepper. It seems like they were having a rough patch although she kept up her cool facade pretending to be uncaring as she asked.

"Trouble in Paradise?"

"She broke up with me actually." His smile wobbled around the edges before dropping completely. "We weren't happy. Iron Man and I...we are the same. Much like the Black Widow and Natalia Romanova." Natasha looked up at him at that comparison, unsure whether to be offended or not. However, she saw quickly that he wasn't trying to be insulting, he was being more serious than she had ever seen him. It didn't suit him at all, she felt an illogical stab of anger at Pepper for making him feel this way. He looked almost as sad as a balloon that had been deflated. "She hated Iron Man but loved Tony Stark. I tried to stop making the suits to keep my promise to her but I couldn't." He paused for a long moment before saying. "It was an amicable split but we both need to be apart for a while."

"I'm so sorry Tony." She rubbed his shoulder, using the excuse to move closer to him. Physical touch is a technique to make the target feel more at ease- no he is not a target stop it! Their bodies were almost touching, she could feel the heat radiating off of his body although he was only wearing an AC/DC shirt and some old jeans. She was so close, she could almost see the faint lines of old Palladium scarring running up his neck. How neatly his facial hair was trimmed, how the dark deep blue bags lined under his eyes- their eyes caught.

While they stared intently at each other, it felt almost as if the air was vanishing from her lungs.

She could detect roughly three shades of brown in his intelligent dark eyes.

Wow he's so beautiful.

Almost as if he was feeling the same he sucked in a harsh breath before breaking the eye contact and the spell of the moment. Internally scolding herself, she dropped her hand and moved backwards a step.

Настроения слабость.

"I work too." He continued in a joking tone, the same tone as earlier.

He was ignoring that moment, Natasha realized she felt strangely hurt by that.

He is ignoring this either because he doesn't like me or its too soon after Pepper.

"I'm dealing with some mess at the moment. SHIELDS information was leaked all across the web after all." He gave her a brief look before continuing. "The Avengers are safe. Your secrets are safe. Jarvis cleaned it up as soon as he detected it."

"Is there some relating to a Russia? I'm dealing with the Hydra cells over here. I just needed to make a stop." Staring at the graves a second, she admired her handiwork with the new flowers she laid her parents graves.

I should have come here sooner.

Even with the Red Room turning her into a monster, she somehow had ended up with a family, the Avengers.

"No. I'm making a Social call."

Huh. How about that? Maybe he does like me. A forbidden daring smile twisted her lips as she looked back at him.

"I didn't think you liked me." He shrugged in response then grinned back, making his face crinkle adorably.

Yes, she definitely liked him better smiling.

"We got off on the wrong foot. Y'know how I get about betrayal but you were doing your job... I get that now."

"I was right," Her lips twitched upwards in a mischievous expression that she had learnt from Clint. "You are self destructive, arrogant and egotistical-"

"Hey! I was being nice to you!" Mock outraged he pouted at her and folded his arms childishly.

"-but you aren't as bad as what I wrote you as. I failed to take into account your impeding death. For that I apologize and I revise my earlier assessment. Tony Stark - yes. You deserve to be an Avenger because your redeeming qualities outweigh your failings."

"Um...thanks I guess." He smiled widely, making his eyes brighten like dark diamonds twinkling in his face. "Wait... are you saying that you like me?"

Her hand twirled around his as a warm feeling that she had thought she had forgotten long ago bubbled up in her chest.

"Yes I am."

Maybe with Tony sentiment could be strength.

Настроения слабость

Настроения сила


End file.
